In 2009 Frieze Education will be once again working with ReachOutRCA (The Royal College of Art’s Educational Outreach Team) to realize an artist-led programme of events for children and young people.
With the aim of establishing a strong legacy for the children and young people that take part, ReachOutRCA provided an imaginative, critical and playful exploration of Frieze Art Fair.
How Do We Get To Here encompassed an exciting and challenging programme of schools workshops, public engagement days, a printed guide and an online resource.
A series of workshops took place both on and off-site for students from four Westminster, Camden and Islington schools. Project Space provided direct experience of the thought processes and practicalities necessary in the understanding and realising of an exhibition. Students from Highbury Grove and South Camden Community Schools worked with curator Louise O’Hare to select and hang artists’ work in the Deutsche Bank Education Space.
The Lives (of the Most Excellent Artists) introduced students to the working methods and the role of the artist, encouraging them to understand how artists create their identity within the art world. Lucy Pawlak worked with groups from Pimlico and Haverstock schools on creating their artistís persona and being photographed in costume.
The weekend public programme consisted of free, drop-in sessions. Designed for children between the ages of five and twelve, they encouraged an imaginative and fun response to the fair. Type Club (a collective of graphic designers) presented The Story Wall, a narrative and typographic discovery of Frieze Art Fair. Children created alphabets from found materials, overhead projectors and Polaroids. Likewise, A+D+A+D (a group of animators and architects working collectively through drawing) presented Inflated Drawing, a 3-D drawing made from unconventional materials like toilet paper, fabric and specially designed cardboard construction panels.
Frieze Young Critics featured Year 12 students from Acland Burghley and St Marylebone schools who met with D. Strauss to discover what it is like to be an art critic, interviewed artists and held discussions, recording their ideas and responses on iPods.
The online resource provided an insight into the fair for young people, featuring How Do We Get To Here interviews with artists and curators involved in Frieze Art Fair. The Family Guide is a free, mini-guide aimed at 5-12 year olds. The guide, inspired by the Frieze Projects programme, helped children discover the fair through imaginative activities.
For full details of the schools and family workshops plus interviews with artists and curators involved in the Frieze Foundation and Frieze Education programmes, please visit http://www.howdowegettohereblog.com
